Vertical aerial photographs of Core Banks, NC

Vertical aerial photographs of Core Banks, NC, from June 12, 2010 (upper, acquired by USDA) and August 28, 2011 (lower, acquired by NOAA one day after landfall of Hurricane Irene). The red line in the lower photo is the location of the oceanfront shore on June 12, 2010. This location is 30-35 km northeast of landfall and in the hurricane's right-front quadrant. A breach has been cut through the barrier island. This is not an unusual occurrence at this location; inlets have been observed here in other photography. Such inlets close naturally by infilling with sand over weeks and months, then reopen during storms like Irene.